Astros tie record 103 wins as Cole becomes strikeout king

The Astros seem to reach new heights every time they take the field and last night was no exception as Gerrit Cole bests the single-season strikeout record.

Gerrit Cole pitched another masterpiece striking out 14 batters while allowing just two hits in a seven-inning scoreless outing. That puts Cole at the top of the list with the most strikeouts in a single season in Houston Astros history. If that’s not enough, the 3-0 win also tied the club record of 103 victories in a season with five games remaining.

J.R. Richards 40-year-old record of 313 strikeouts in a season was toppled in the seventh inning when Cole struck out Mariners Kyle Lewis on his twelfth strikeout of the night. Cole would go on to strike out two more for a total of 316 Ks on the year.

That is now eight straight games that Cole has recorded double-digit strikeouts evening him up with Pedro Martinez and Chris Sale for the MLB record. With one more regular-season start left for Cole, he’ll have a shot at breaking that record along with achieving his 20th win of the season.

With the season winding down, it’s getting more and more difficult for the Baseball Writers Association of America to cast their votes for the Cy Young Award as Cole and Justin Verlander seem to be battling it out game for game.

Those two aren’t the only players for the Astros giving it their best to come out as top players of the year. Alex Bregman continues to make a statement for his bid to be the AL Most Valuable Player of the Year.

Bregman went 2-for-4 last night including his 40th home run of the season, five shy of Mike Trout‘s 45. He collected his 109th RBI and 118th run of the year, both numbers top Trout, his major competitor for top honors.

The Astros will go for their record 104th victory tonight against the Seattle Mariners. Zack Greinke will go into the game with a 17-5 record and 3.05 ERA and be matched up with Yusei Kikuchi and his 5.55 ERA and 6-10 record.